MTRAC issued two new Commissioning Support reviews in February 2013. The reviews cover dapagliflozin and insulin degludec for the treatment of diabetes.

The dapagliflozin (Forxiga®) summary advises that this drug is suitable for prescribing in primary care following initiation by a practitioner with a special interest in diabetes. Although the evidence is relatively strong it is suggested that this treatment should occupy a lower place in therapy as there are no longer-term outcome data.

The insulin degludec (Tresiba®) summary advises that this drug is suitable for prescribing in primary care following initiation and stabilisation of dose in secondary care. The evidence was considered to be relatively weak as the trials to date have been short in duration and only made comparisons with insulin glargine. The product is also more expensive and has demonstrated no clinical advantage over current therapies. It is therefore suggested that this treatment should occupy a lower place in therapy

Action: Clinicians should be aware of these reviews and compare current practice to the recommendations, making changes where appropriate.